[JohnFen]

I got into programming when I was 12 as part of a TAG program.

Interestingly, though, I didn't intend to go into programming. My interest was digital electronics. However, as a 12 year old boy in a poor family, I couldn't afford to buy parts -- but programming is free as long as you have access to a computer (I'm in my mid 50s, when I was 12, access to a computer was rare).

I've been programming ever since -- and once I started doing it professionally (in my early 20s), I resumed my interest in electronics and carry that on to this day as a hobby.

I got my first paid work through a personal contact.

I won't comment about how I feel about my job right now, because I'm deeply burnt out and have no positive feelings about it. Once I figure out how to overcome my burnout, I'm sure that my love of it will return. I hope.